A type of roller skate has recently become very popular which is comprised of typically four in-line wheels retained on a frame, on which a boot or shoe retaining platform is supported, and is commonly referred to as a roller blade. In order to provide increased control to the user, a brake for each roller blade is a desirable accessory. Typically such a brake is comprised of a pad which extends diagonally outwardly from the back of the frame, which the user forces into engagement with a skating surface such as a road or sidewalk by tilting the roller blade. This type of brake has been found to be inadequate for use during high speed or on hills, and many accidents have occurred.
There are many other examples of braking systems for roller skates that have been designed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,075 to Gates, a remote manually controlled cable operated structure is described which uses a bicycle-type caliper brake against the wheel of a tire-type skate roller. Unfortunately this type of brake is unsuitable for use with modern roller blade type skates for several reasons. Firstly the form of the caliper would interfere with the frame of a roller blade. Secondly there is insufficient room between the frame and the roller of modern roller blades to accommodate the brake pads and their supporting mechanisms. Thirdly, due to the structure of the bicycle type caliper mechanism, it is unsuitable for use with a tire type roller which is not supported by a separate wheel, i.e. one which is made of a composition which merely supports a central bushing and axle, as is the case with a modern roller blade wheel. Fourthly, the caliper type mechanism is suitable only to brake one wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,781 to Riggs describes a braking mechanism for the traditional type of four wheel roller skate in which a pair of wheels is supported on each of two axles. A brake pad is caused to engage with the same surfaces of the rollers which contact the skating surface. Unfortunately such structures are not suitable for use with roller blades, because a roller blade wheel has a much narrower region which such a brake may contact, decreasing its efficiency and increasing risk. The skating surface contacting portion of the roller blade is typically oval or nearly oval, and changes with wear, which would complicate the required surface profile of the brake pad. In addition, the roller blade rollers often pit during use and pick up dirt, which would substantially increase wear on the brake pads if the Riggs structure were used. This could result in a dangerous condition if the brake was used at high speeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,936 to Krantz describes a complex caliper brake mechanism which suffers from many of the deficiencies of the Gates design, in a wheeled ski.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,451 to Scheck, Sr. describes a brake mechanism which uses a disk mounted to the side of the wheel, which is engaged by a brake. This is a complex and costly structure, and impedes use of the skate where the skate is to be tilted relative to the skating surface, which is often the case during use of roller blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,628,004 to Stetson illustrates an entirely different type of braking structure which utilizes a gear which rotates a wheel which itself is braked by a brake band. In order to accommodate the gear, the entire structure requires the use of large pairs of oppositely disposed rollers. It is clearly unsuitable for use with a modern roller blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,801,205 to Mirick describes a roller blade having brake pads which bear against the outside rolling surfaces of a pair of wheels. With sufficient use of this brake, the braked wheels wear faster than the other wheels, requiring replacement. The replacement wheels, being new, would likely be larger than the remaining wheels, causing a dangerous operating condition. Accordingly once the braked wheels have been worn, all wheels must be replaced, which is expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,110 to Williamson, describes a unicycle roller skate which uses a bicycle type caliper brake mechanism. This has many of the same deficiencies as the above-described Gates structure when used on a multi-wheeled roller blade.